Method and apparatus for automatic keyboard configuration by layout

• US 5,523,754 A
• Filed: 09/20/1993
• Issued: 06/04/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Fandrick, Frank M., Eisen, Ivan R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Peng, John K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US08/124,092
• Time in Patent Office: 988 Days
• Field of Search: 341/20, 341/22, 341/23, 341/28, 345/168, 345/171, 345/172, 364/709.14
• US Class Current: 341/20
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0238 Programmable keyboards key guide holders G06F3/0224

Abstract

Upon selection of an application/process on a computer system, an input device is appropriately mapped/remapped to correspond to the language selected by a user. Thus, a user can switch from one language in a first application to another language in a second application without having to change the entire system.

Claims

1. A method of automatically re-mapping an input device, in a multi-windowed computer system which includes a plurality of applications which may run simultaneously on the computer system and which includes a capability for preselecting a system input language for use with all of the plurality of applications on the computer system, in order to make available to a user a selected input language which is different from the preselected system input language for at least one of the plurality of applications without changing the preselected system input language for all remaining ones of the plurality of applications, comprising the steps of:

building a language process table comprising input languages available to the user;

inputting in the table an identifier for each of the plurality of applications, such that the identifier for a given application is in correspondance with the desired input language for that application;

selecting at least one of the plurality of applications to be active; and

automatically mapping the input device from the preselected system input language to the user selected input language in accordance with the correspondance set forth in said language process table, wherein upon completion by the user of the at least one of the plurality of applications the input device is mapped back to the preselected system input language.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

storing said language process table on a storage device associated with the multi-windowed computer system for recurring use.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of building comprises:

selecting a language from a list stored on a storage device associated with the multi-windowed computer system.